Difference between ceramic applications

[freshlex287]

Hey guys,

   I’m new to the whole ceramics game but I def wanna apply it to my cars. My question is what are the differences between the spray, paste wax and liquid versions? What situation would i use each in? Is the spray the base? Paste wax and liquid a topper? Just sorta confused about all the different options. Then what’s the general procedure for maintaining the coating? Just use boost every wash? How long til I have to strip it all down and reapply the whole application again? If I maintain with boost am I good forever?  Thx for your help guys I appreciate it ! 

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

2 hours ago, freshlex287 said:

Hey guys,

   I’m new to the whole ceramics game but I def wanna apply it to my cars. My question is what are the differences between the spray, paste wax and liquid versions? What situation would i use each in? Is the spray the base? Paste wax and liquid a topper? Just sorta confused about all the different options. Then what’s the general procedure for maintaining the coating? Just use boost every wash? How long til I have to strip it all down and reapply the whole application again? If I maintain with boost am I good forever?  Thx for your help guys I appreciate it ! 

Hey there. Yeah it can be pretty confusing. There’s a lot of options. But to start from the top. Ceramics are a newer form of protection (old school protection would be considered wax). They have much longer longevity and increased performance in terms of the protection they provide As compared to other protection products.

 

Ceramic products are fully synthetic as opposed to waxes which have natural ingredients in them like carnuba and other things. Waxes are normally a substance that you lay on top of your paint. A ceramic coating is actually meant to bond and adhere to the paint. 
 

the purpose of having a ceramic coating in short is to protect from rain, sun, contamination and other exterior elements that can really mess up a vehicles finish. Also it makes it so much easier to clean. Water and dirt don’t like to stick to the surface. 

 

So the products that you have mentioned and Adams has in their line up are:

 

Ceramic Paint Coating

Ceramic Spray Coating

Ceramic Liquid Wax

and Ceramic Paste Wax

(as well as the SiO2 infused things, which would be considered maintenance products for a ceramic coated vehicle... they also have other procura like trim coating and wheel coating and glass coating and headlight and metal wipes, if you have any questions about those we can answer them separately, here I’m just trying to explain the big ones that are the most talked about)

 

Ceramic Paint Coating is a true coating. It is the most durable and robust protection that Adams carries overall. It is also the most involved in terms of application. You have to work in small sections (2’x2’) all the way around the car. And the cure time is 24 hours. It provides a pretty thick coating, though, and because of that it can last up to 2+ years. It is meant only for your painted surfaces. (As I listed above they have a separate product for glass, trim, and wheels)

 

Ceramic Spray Coating is also a true coating, but made in a way that is much easier for somebody to apply. You can work in larger sections like say a panel or a half a panel at a time, and it’s in spray form which is easier for the person doing the work. It has a cure time of 4-6 hours and it leaves a coating which is a fraction of the thickness of the Ceramic Paint Coating. The longevity in this product is around 6-8 months. You can use Ceramic Spray Coating on almost anything. It works great on glass, trim, convertible tops, Wheels, plastic... I even tried it on my shoes (not worth it).... I love this product

 

Ceramic Liquid and Paste Waxes are actually not coatings. They are synthetic waxes which are infused with the active ingredient in ceramic coatings (SiO2). The difference in the two products as far as I know is a small difference in the SiO2 content (CPW with 35% and CLW with 30%) and one is just in a liquid form and one is in paste wax form. So really it just depends on the person applying and which type of wax they prefer. Ceramic liquid wax is newer, so I’m not sure about it’s longevity, but i applied mine over my ceramic spray coating and the seems to be going 3.5 months strong right now. The Ceramic Paste Wax has been around a little while and people love it. It’s said to lSt 6-8 months, but I’ve heard it could last up to a year! I call @RayS to the stand.

make sure to keep both waxes in the paint. I thought I could use my CLW on other surfaces and it wasn’t pretty. But the paint looked great!!

 

also I didn’t even mention the visual effects all of these products have. all of them look amazing on a vehicle.

 

hope this helps! Please let us know any other questions you may have.

[freshlex287]

1 hour ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

Hey there. Yeah it can be pretty confusing. There’s a lot of options. But to start from the top. Ceramics are a newer form of protection (old school protection would be considered wax). They have much longer longevity and increased performance in terms of the protection they provide As compared to other protection products.

 

Ceramic products are fully synthetic as opposed to waxes which have natural ingredients in them like carnuba and other things. Waxes are normally a substance that you lay on top of your paint. A ceramic coating is actually meant to bond and adhere to the paint. 
 

the purpose of having a ceramic coating in short is to protect from rain, sun, contamination and other exterior elements that can really mess up a vehicles finish. Also it makes it so much easier to clean. Water and dirt don’t like to stick to the surface. 

 

So the products that you have mentioned and Adams has in their line up are:

 

Ceramic Paint Coating

Ceramic Spray Coating

Ceramic Liquid Wax

and Ceramic Paste Wax

(as well as the SiO2 infused things, which would be considered maintenance products for a ceramic coated vehicle... they also have other procura like trim coating and wheel coating and glass coating and headlight and metal wipes, if you have any questions about those we can answer them separately, here I’m just trying to explain the big ones that are the most talked about)

 

Ceramic Paint Coating is a true coating. It is the most durable and robust protection that Adams carries overall. It is also the most involved in terms of application. You have to work in small sections (2’x2’) all the way around the car. And the cure time is 24 hours. It provides a pretty thick coating, though, and because of that it can last up to 2+ years. It is meant only for your painted surfaces. (As I listed above they have a separate product for glass, trim, and wheels)

 

Ceramic Spray Coating is also a true coating, but made in a way that is much easier for somebody to apply. You can work in larger sections like say a panel or a half a panel at a time, and it’s in spray form which is easier for the person doing the work. It has a cure time of 4-6 hours and it leaves a coating which is a fraction of the thickness of the Ceramic Paint Coating. The longevity in this product is around 6-8 months. You can use Ceramic Spray Coating on almost anything. It works great on glass, trim, convertible tops, Wheels, plastic... I even tried it on my shoes (not worth it).... I love this product

 

Ceramic Liquid and Paste Waxes are actually not coatings. They are synthetic waxes which are infused with the active ingredient in ceramic coatings (SiO2). The difference in the two products as far as I know is a small difference in the SiO2 content (CPW with 35% and CLW with 30%) and one is just in a liquid form and one is in paste wax form. So really it just depends on the person applying and which type of wax they prefer. Ceramic liquid wax is newer, so I’m not sure about it’s longevity, but i applied mine over my ceramic spray coating and the seems to be going 3.5 months strong right now. The Ceramic Paste Wax has been around a little while and people love it. It’s said to lSt 6-8 months, but I’ve heard it could last up to a year! I call @RayS to the stand.

make sure to keep both waxes in the paint. I thought I could use my CLW on other surfaces and it wasn’t pretty. But the paint looked great!!

 

also I didn’t even mention the visual effects all of these products have. all of them look amazing on a vehicle.

 

hope this helps! Please let us know any other questions you may have.

 

 

Wow that was super helpful! Thanks so much! So basically I should start with a coating such as the spray and then if I want additional protection I could use the ceramic paste wax or liquid wax correct? As far as maintaining you would recommend using the ceramic boost and the ceramic wash as well? How often would u recommend the boost? Can I use it as drying aid like I do with detail spray every wash? Sorry for all the questions I just don’t wanna mess this up lol 

[RayS]

Since @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin called me out on the Ceramic Paste Wax, I'm going to include a couple of pictures that you can use for comparison.  The first picture of the truck is about 2 months after I applied CPW and the second picture is from this last weekend when I stripped it and applied Ceramic Spray Coating.  They both look good and the maintenance is pretty much the same, Wash + Coat, Ceramic Waterless Wash and about every 4-6 weeks Ceramic Boost.  In both cases, the preparation is what makes all the difference.

 

The next two pictures are of the Mustang, the first picture being when I applied CPW on January 9th, please excuse the pirate look since we initially received the wrong headlights.  This next picture is from today and it still has the same coat of CPW and has maintenance washes and Ceramic Boost applied.  We're at the 10 month mark and the car is still looking very good and I still have not decided if it is going to be converted to CSC or will stay with CPW.  They are both outstanding products and I'm also old school and enjoy putting the wax on by hand and buffing it off by hand.

 

The second picture of the Mustang shows that it is getting dull, but it has also been two weeks since it was last washed.   The main thing that I want to stress is that no matter what product you use on your vehicle, the better job you do with the prep is the better it will come out.  Just take your time and plan for two days, that way if you get tired or something comes up, you don't end up rushing through it.

 

Just as important, don't hesitate to ask questions, we all enjoy sharing our experiences, good and bad, and helping others.

 

[freshlex287]

wow both look great. what do you think about doing CSC and then topping it with CPW? overkill? will it affect the hydrophobic properties? just asking cuz i already have the CPW on the way but really wanna try the CSC also! since i have 2 cars maybe ill try one on each and see what i like better.

[RayS]

20 minutes ago, freshlex287 said:

wow both look great. what do you think about doing CSC and then topping it with CPW? overkill? will it affect the hydrophobic properties? just asking cuz i already have the CPW on the way but really wanna try the CSC also! since i have 2 cars maybe ill try one on each and see what i like better.

At this point, I don't think I'll do anything to the truck unless it is going out for a evening and I want to really pop, then it is a quick cover with Brilliant Glaze.  I have a few vehicles that I get to play with, so I get to test different combinations, there are 3 left with CPW, 2 with CSC, 1 with Americana, not including the bike that I am going to do with CSC.  We sold the vehicles that had regular spray wax and H20 Guard and Gloss and they both looked great when the found new homes.

 

Personally, with the price of CPW and the point that you already have it on the way, I'd do the vehicle with it, it is a great product.  If you decide in a few months that you want to convert to CSC, you can do so.  The only reason I converted the truck was because I gave the members of this forum a vote on which of the vehicle to do and the Truck was volunteered.   If you do with CPW, just keep in mind that a little goes a long way, you want a very thin coat.

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

36 minutes ago, freshlex287 said:

wow both look great. what do you think about doing CSC and then topping it with CPW? overkill? will it affect the hydrophobic properties? just asking cuz i already have the CPW on the way but really wanna try the CSC also! since i have 2 cars maybe ill try one on each and see what i like better.

To answer your question from before, yes you’ll want one of the two coatings on before you do one of the waxes. And if you want to do the ceramic paint coating that would be your base layer.

 

but if you’re saying you want CSC, that would be great! I love it! And I don’t believe that it would be overkill. I think using CPW over CSC would be appropriate

[freshlex287]

awesome advice guys! i appreciate it. i think im gonna go CSC w/ a topper of CPW and see how it goes. ill do maintenance washes with ceramic wash and every month or so hit it with ceramic boost. how long do you think it will last til i need to redo? im assuming that all depends on weather and other factors. i guess i can just keep an eye on how the water it beading off as judgement. thx again

[RayS]

23 minutes ago, freshlex287 said:

awesome advice guys! i appreciate it. i think im gonna go CSC w/ a topper of CPW and see how it goes. ill do maintenance washes with ceramic wash and every month or so hit it with ceramic boost. how long do you think it will last til i need to redo? im assuming that all depends on weather and other factors. i guess i can just keep an eye on how the water it beading off as judgement. thx again

I think a lot is going to depend on how harsh of a winter you get.  The more snow and ice storms will mean the more often you are running through all the winter road chemicals.  Then you may have the challenge of being able to wash and maintain it if it is brutally cold winter.  Which reminds me that you need to find a Pay & Spray that you can use the rinse only or clean water only, don't use the soap at all.  Keep it clean during the winter can be a real challenge and unless you have a wash bay at your house.

[freshlex287]

48 minutes ago, RayS said:

I think a lot is going to depend on how harsh of a winter you get.  The more snow and ice storms will mean the more often you are running through all the winter road chemicals.  Then you may have the challenge of being able to wash and maintain it if it is brutally cold winter.  Which reminds me that you need to find a Pay & Spray that you can use the rinse only or clean water only, don't use the soap at all.  Keep it clean during the winter can be a real challenge and unless you have a wash bay at your house.

luckily i work at a dealership and can wash it by hand in the wash bay! lol

[SouthernSteve]

7 hours ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

Hey there. Yeah it can be pretty confusing. There’s a lot of options. But to start from the top. Ceramics are a newer form of protection (old school protection would be considered wax). They have much longer longevity and increased performance in terms of the protection they provide As compared to other protection products.

 

Ceramic products are fully synthetic as opposed to waxes which have natural ingredients in them like carnuba and other things. Waxes are normally a substance that you lay on top of your paint. A ceramic coating is actually meant to bond and adhere to the paint. 
 

the purpose of having a ceramic coating in short is to protect from rain, sun, contamination and other exterior elements that can really mess up a vehicles finish. Also it makes it so much easier to clean. Water and dirt don’t like to stick to the surface. 

 

So the products that you have mentioned and Adams has in their line up are:

 

Ceramic Paint Coating

Ceramic Spray Coating

Ceramic Liquid Wax

and Ceramic Paste Wax

(as well as the SiO2 infused things, which would be considered maintenance products for a ceramic coated vehicle... they also have other procura like trim coating and wheel coating and glass coating and headlight and metal wipes, if you have any questions about those we can answer them separately, here I’m just trying to explain the big ones that are the most talked about)

 

Ceramic Paint Coating is a true coating. It is the most durable and robust protection that Adams carries overall. It is also the most involved in terms of application. You have to work in small sections (2’x2’) all the way around the car. And the cure time is 24 hours. It provides a pretty thick coating, though, and because of that it can last up to 2+ years. It is meant only for your painted surfaces. (As I listed above they have a separate product for glass, trim, and wheels)

 

Ceramic Spray Coating is also a true coating, but made in a way that is much easier for somebody to apply. You can work in larger sections like say a panel or a half a panel at a time, and it’s in spray form which is easier for the person doing the work. It has a cure time of 4-6 hours and it leaves a coating which is a fraction of the thickness of the Ceramic Paint Coating. The longevity in this product is around 6-8 months. You can use Ceramic Spray Coating on almost anything. It works great on glass, trim, convertible tops, Wheels, plastic... I even tried it on my shoes (not worth it).... I love this product

 

Ceramic Liquid and Paste Waxes are actually not coatings. They are synthetic waxes which are infused with the active ingredient in ceramic coatings (SiO2). The difference in the two products as far as I know is a small difference in the SiO2 content (CPW with 35% and CLW with 30%) and one is just in a liquid form and one is in paste wax form. So really it just depends on the person applying and which type of wax they prefer. Ceramic liquid wax is newer, so I’m not sure about it’s longevity, but i applied mine over my ceramic spray coating and the seems to be going 3.5 months strong right now. The Ceramic Paste Wax has been around a little while and people love it. It’s said to lSt 6-8 months, but I’ve heard it could last up to a year! I call @RayS to the stand.

make sure to keep both waxes in the paint. I thought I could use my CLW on other surfaces and it wasn’t pretty. But the paint looked great!!

 

also I didn’t even mention the visual effects all of these products have. all of them look amazing on a vehicle.

 

hope this helps! Please let us know any other questions you may have.

 

Thanks for the detailed post, Juan!  I’ve been doing a lot of reading and searching on the forum about the Ceramic Coating or CSC.  My truck will be due soon for a new coating application.  I’m thinking of just going with the 2 year plus coating but open.  I looking at it this way...since I’m going to be doing all that work, have the ability to let the truck  sit for 24 hours, and the brutal Alabama sun.  Although the truck is garage kept.

 

Again, thank you for the detailed post.

[SouthernSteve]

5 hours ago, RayS said:

Since @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin called me out on the Ceramic Paste Wax, I'm going to include a couple of pictures that you can use for comparison.  The first picture of the truck is about 2 months after I applied CPW and the second picture is from this last weekend when I stripped it and applied Ceramic Spray Coating.  They both look good and the maintenance is pretty much the same, Wash + Coat, Ceramic Waterless Wash and about every 4-6 weeks Ceramic Boost.  In both cases, the preparation is what makes all the difference.

 

The next two pictures are of the Mustang, the first picture being when I applied CPW on January 9th, please excuse the pirate look since we initially received the wrong headlights.  This next picture is from today and it still has the same coat of CPW and has maintenance washes and Ceramic Boost applied.  We're at the 10 month mark and the car is still looking very good and I still have not decided if it is going to be converted to CSC or will stay with CPW.  They are both outstanding products and I'm also old school and enjoy putting the wax on by hand and buffing it off by hand.

 

The second picture of the Mustang shows that it is getting dull, but it has also been two weeks since it was last washed.   The main thing that I want to stress is that no matter what product you use on your vehicle, the better job you do with the prep is the better it will come out.  Just take your time and plan for two days, that way if you get tired or something comes up, you don't end up rushing through it.

 

Just as important, don't hesitate to ask questions, we all enjoy sharing our experiences, good and bad, and helping others.

 

 

Ray,

 

The both finishes  look like I could dip my fingers into the paint!

[freshlex287]

would you guys recommend using the grey microfiber applicator to apply ? what do you use to remove? in the video they use the plush microfiber towel but now they have the new suede microfiber towels that are suppose to be better for removal. anybody try those yet? what would you recommend. thanks

[SgtLip]

1 hour ago, freshlex287 said:

would you guys recommend using the grey microfiber applicator to apply ? what do you use to remove? in the video they use the plush microfiber towel but now they have the new suede microfiber towels that are suppose to be better for removal. anybody try those yet? what would you recommend. thanks

 

@freshlex287 I'm trying to determine the same thing. I just purchased the Ceramic Waterless Wash and it came with 4 of the Plush Waffle Towels. So I'm guessing the suede towels aren't for that.

 

Going by the web site, the Suede Microfiber Towels says "The perfect towel for precision removal of ceramic coatings and protection." All of the description spells out for the removal of ceramic coatings. So I'm guessing the Suede Towels are for the "coating type" products and NOT the Waterless Wash or Ceramic Boost type products. But that is MY guess.

 

I'll be anxious to see what the detailers have to say.

 

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

1 hour ago, freshlex287 said:

would you guys recommend using the grey microfiber applicator to apply ? what do you use to remove? in the video they use the plush microfiber towel but now they have the new suede microfiber towels that are suppose to be better for removal. anybody try those yet? what would you recommend. thanks

I think the best move is to use the microfiber applicator and remove with suede towels. They remove less than the plush single soft towels

[falcaineer]

3 hours ago, freshlex287 said:

would you guys recommend using the grey microfiber applicator to apply ? what do you use to remove? in the video they use the plush microfiber towel but now they have the new suede microfiber towels that are suppose to be better for removal. anybody try those yet? what would you recommend. thanks

 

2 hours ago, SgtLip said:

 

@freshlex287 I'm trying to determine the same thing. I just purchased the Ceramic Waterless Wash and it came with 4 of the Plush Waffle Towels. So I'm guessing the suede towels aren't for that.

 

Going by the web site, the Suede Microfiber Towels says "The perfect towel for precision removal of ceramic coatings and protection." All of the description spells out for the removal of ceramic coatings. So I'm guessing the Suede Towels are for the "coating type" products and NOT the Waterless Wash or Ceramic Boost type products. But that is MY guess.

 

I'll be anxious to see what the detailers have to say.

 

 

Absolutely! Apply the CSC with the grey microfiber applicator pads, and then remove with the suede towels. For application, spray several sprays at close range into the pad (avoiding overspray), then apply a panel at a time, respraying as necessary. The suede towels will remove as little of the CSC as possible thus extending longevity. Keep the grey towels for another use around the car.

[freshlex287]

8 hours ago, falcaineer said:

 

 

Absolutely! Apply the CSC with the grey microfiber applicator pads, and then remove with the suede towels. For application, spray several sprays at close range into the pad (avoiding overspray), then apply a panel at a time, respraying as necessary. The suede towels will remove as little of the CSC as possible thus extending longevity. Keep the grey towels for another use around the car.

so are the grey suede towels washable and reusable? or a 1 time use sorta thing?

[Boostedlude]

2 hours ago, freshlex287 said:

so are the grey suede towels washable and reusable? or a 1 time use sorta thing?

I would like to know as well, I have not been reusing the grey suede towels after using them with CSC

[jeverton]

On 10/4/2019 at 7:04 AM, Boostedlude said:

I would like to know as well, I have not been reusing the grey suede towels after using them with CSC

I soaked my grey suede towels for 24 hrs in APC and washed using the Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener, dried and stored.  So before, I use again the answer to this question would be helpful.

[falcaineer]

On 10/4/2019 at 3:55 AM, freshlex287 said:

so are the grey suede towels washable and reusable? or a 1 time use sorta thing?

 

On 10/4/2019 at 6:04 AM, Boostedlude said:

I would like to know as well, I have not been reusing the grey suede towels after using them with CSC

 

2 hours ago, jeverton said:

I soaked my grey suede towels for 24 hrs in APC and washed using the Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener, dried and stored.  So before, I use again the answer to this question would be helpful.

 

You can wash them, but Adam's recommends using them for non-paint or at least non-visible areas if you do.

[jeverton]

Good to know... Thanks Chris!